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IEE in the News

IEE faculty, fellows, staff, and projects in the news

Plastic Bottles Could Fuel EVs, Reveals New Study

Plastic bottles could fuel EVs, reveals new study

| republicworld.com

Researchers have discovered a way to transform plastic bottles into highly ordered synthetic graphite, a critical material for lithium-ion batteries. The breakthrough could turn one of the world’s most common waste streams into a valuable resource for clean energy technologies.

Mentions

Unmedicated women with depression do not tolerate heat as well as those on SSRIs | Penn State University

Unmedicated women with depression do not tolerate heat as well as those on SSRIs

| psu.edu

Women with clinical depression who take a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medication may be better able to withstand extreme heat compared to those who do not take antidepressant medications, according to a new study by Penn State researchers.

Mentions

Ask an expert: Are data centers driving up my electricity bills? | Penn State University

Ask an expert: Are data centers driving up my electricity bills?

| psu.edu

According to Hannah Wiseman, professor of law at Penn State Dickinson Law, homeowners may be in for a shock when they pay their power bills at the end of this month, and not just because of an uptick in air conditioning to stay cool during a record-breaking heatwave. In the following Q&A, Wiseman discussed why data centers use so much power, whether they fare worse in the summertime and what impacted communities or individuals can do to voice their concerns. 

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Penn State Data Commons powers two decades of open science | Penn State University

Penn State Data Commons powers two decades of open science

For more than two decades, the Penn State Data Commons has expanded from an early faculty-led effort to openly share research data into a University-wide repository and support system that now serves nearly 300 faculty members across nine colleges and supported 70 research projects in 2025.

Mentions

‘Growing Impact’ podcast discusses tool to identify grid threats, investments | Penn State University

‘Growing Impact’ podcast discusses tool to identify grid threats, investments

A new planning tool under development at Penn State could help keep the lights on as the U.S. electric grid faces growing pressures from extreme weather, renewable energy and data centers, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Mentions

Seed Grant Projects

Penn State professor Katherine Zipp honored with faculty mentor award | Penn State University

Penn State professor Katherine Zipp honored with faculty mentor award

| psu.edu

Katherine Zipp, associate professor of environmental and resource economics in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has received the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award for postdoctoral scholars from the Penn State Postdoctoral Society.

Mentions

Cover art for the Growing Impact podcast episode “Resilient Power Grid Planning” from Penn State’s Institute of Energy and the Environment, showing transmission towers and power lines at sunset.

Growing Impact: Resilient power grid planning

As electricity demand grows and becomes harder to predict, power grid planners face a difficult question: how do they build for a future shaped by extreme weather, renewable energy, and the rapid rise of data centers?

Guests

Seed Grant Projects

Researchers Convert Plastic Waste Into High-Performance Battery Material

Researchers convert plastic waste into high-performance battery material

| openthemagazine.com

Researchers at Penn State have transformed discarded PET plastic bottles into highly ordered synthetic graphite for lithium-ion batteries, offering a cleaner, sustainable alternative to conventional graphite production while reducing plastic waste

Mentions

Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams receive 2026 IEE seed grants | Penn State University

Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams receive 2026 IEE seed grants

Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams have received funding through the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) 2026 Seed Grant Program. The program supports basic and applied research that lays the groundwork to pursue external funding and is guided by IEE’s five strategic research themes. This year, the program awarded seed funding to more than 40 researchers across 10 colleges and campuses and 21 departments and units.

Mentions

Seed Grant Projects

Blue geometric design

EPA faces backlash over drinking water monitoring plan

| newsweek.com

The EPA released a new drinking water monitoring plan which fails to include review of microplastics, despite calls from 176 organizations.

Mentions

Plastic bottles could find new life in batteries as graphite | Penn State University

Plastic bottles could find new life in batteries as graphite

A plastic bottle tossed into a recycling bin could one day help power an electric vehicle, smartphone or renewable energy storage system, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

Mentions

War-induced fertilizer shortage may be reducing US soil and water pollution

War-induced fertilizer shortage may be reducing US soil and water pollution

American farmers are expected to plant several million fewer acres of corn in 2026 than they did in 2025, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz throttles a key fertilizer trading corridor, along with the energy and raw materials needed to produce and transport fertilizer.

Authors